How to Intermediate · 3 min read

Computer use human oversight patterns

Q: Computer use human oversight patterns

Use the anthropic.Anthropic client with the computer_20241022 tool type and enable the computer-use-2024-10-22 beta flag to invoke computer use with human oversight. Monitor tool_calls in responses to handle and review AI actions before execution.

Quick answer

Use the anthropic.Anthropic client with the computer_20241022 tool type and enable the computer-use-2024-10-22 beta flag to invoke computer use with human oversight. Monitor tool_calls in responses to handle and review AI actions before execution.

PREREQUISITES

Python 3.8+
Anthropic API key
pip install anthropic>=0.20

Setup

Install the anthropic Python SDK and set your Anthropic API key as an environment variable.

Install SDK: pip install anthropic
Set environment variable: export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY='your_api_key' (Linux/macOS) or set ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your_api_key (Windows)

bash

pip install anthropic

output

Collecting anthropic
  Downloading anthropic-0.20.0-py3-none-any.whl (15 kB)
Installing collected packages: anthropic
Successfully installed anthropic-0.20.0

Step by step

This example demonstrates invoking the computer_20241022 tool with human oversight enabled via the computer-use-2024-10-22 beta flag. The AI's tool calls can be inspected and approved before execution.

python

import os
import json
import anthropic

client = anthropic.Anthropic(api_key=os.environ["ANTHROPIC_API_KEY"])

response = client.beta.messages.create(
    model="claude-3-5-sonnet-20241022",
    max_tokens=1024,
    tools=[{
        "type": "computer_20241022",
        "name": "computer",
        "display_width_px": 1024,
        "display_height_px": 768
    }],
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Open a text editor and write a short note."}],
    betas=["computer-use-2024-10-22"]
)

print("AI response:", response.content[0].text)

# Check if AI wants to call a tool
if response.choices[0].finish_reason == "tool_calls":
    tool_call = response.choices[0].message.tool_calls[0]
    print("Tool call detected:", json.dumps(tool_call, indent=2))
    # Human oversight: review tool_call before executing
else:
    print("No tool call detected.")

output

AI response: Sure, I will open a text editor and write a short note.
Tool call detected: {
  "name": "computer",
  "arguments": "{\"action\": \"open_text_editor\", \"content\": \"This is a short note written by AI.\"}"
}

Common variations

You can customize the tools parameter to include different computer capabilities or adjust display sizes. Use async calls with asyncio for concurrency. Different Claude models supporting computer use may be available; always check the latest model names and beta flags.

python

import asyncio
import os
import anthropic

async def main():
    client = anthropic.Anthropic(api_key=os.environ["ANTHROPIC_API_KEY"])
    response = await client.beta.messages.acreate(
        model="claude-3-5-sonnet-20241022",
        max_tokens=1024,
        tools=[{
            "type": "computer_20241022",
            "name": "computer",
            "display_width_px": 1280,
            "display_height_px": 720
        }],
        messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Take a screenshot of the desktop."}],
        betas=["computer-use-2024-10-22"]
    )
    print("Async AI response:", response.content[0].text)

asyncio.run(main())

output

Async AI response: Taking a screenshot of the desktop now.

Troubleshooting

If you receive an error about missing betas or tools, ensure you are using the beta.messages.create method and have the correct beta flag computer-use-2024-10-22.
If no tool calls appear, verify the model supports computer use and that your prompt triggers tool invocation.
Check your API key and environment variable setup if authentication errors occur.

✅

Key Takeaways

Use the Anthropic SDK's beta endpoint with the computer-use beta flag for human oversight.
Inspect tool_calls in responses to review AI's intended computer actions before execution.
Customize tool parameters and use async calls for flexible, concurrent workflows.

Verified 2026-04 · claude-3-5-sonnet-20241022

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